On behalf of millions of citizen children in our country whose parents lack legal immigration status, I write to you in these unsettled times. In essence, these children share the same plight as the Dreamers, that is, potentially being separated from their families and from the only country they know. But the numbers of these citizen children are vastly greater – in the millions.

In these times it is not hard to envision that children of parents who work hard and are law-abiding can suddenly be abandoned as a result of acts of the "authority". And, it is entirely possible that they may be swept to a new and strange country. Given that they are citizens, would this not go beyond the realm of harsh and unusual punishment?

As difficult as it may seem at this time when the Congress is set to work on creating a realistic pathway for the Dreamers, now truly is also the time for appropriate attention by Congress to ensure that the predicament of these highly vulnerable citizen is addressed. Mr. President, please be aware that published reports of intended legislation to give legal status to the politically active Dreamers make no mention of providing legal status to the parents of citizen children who suffer without advocacy.

Our organization has strongly supported giving legal status to eligible DACA youths who were brought here through no fault of their own. Because of the magnitude of the numbers of the citizen children and the potential for their extensive suffering, however, we have even more strongly supported giving legal status to the parents of citizen children who have not committed any serious crime.

We fervently urge you to include a remedy for the citizen children in any legislation that legitimizes the status of Dreamers. We fear that if such a remedy is not included now, these children will continue to live in constant fear, for it is not likely that immigration normalization will appear on the legislative horizon for years to come.

Therefore, we respectfully request that during the deliberations for giving legal status to DACA recipients, strong consideration be given to securing some path for legal work status to these children’s parents. By this we do not speak of amnesty or a direct path to citizenship. For now, we concede that that practicality must rule.

Thus, for example, a Congressional remedy could be crafted – that those who have citizen children and who work and are law-abiding, and pass other measures, may have temporary work permits. Surely if they could speak for themselves this right would be one of their most fervent desires. In their humility it would also seem that they would only ask for the basic right to work – and from a moral standpoint to continue to contribute to the building of our county without fear of seeing their families shattered.